A personal blog of this 76 year old gay man (ninth generation American) who retired to Delaware from Pennsylvania eleven years ago with his longtime partner/husband of 53 years.

Monday, September 08, 2014

Hives

Bee hives - not the kind of hives I have

A couple of days ago I awoke at night, scratching the inside of my right shin. The more I scratched, the more it itched. Upon wakening the next morning I looked and saw about two dozen red bumps on my skin. "What now?" I thought.I put some of Bill's Gold Bond lotion on the bumps to reduce the itching. The red bumps went down.The next day I noticed more red bumps on the insides of my thighs. WTF? Now I was starting to get worried. I'm a regular visitor to my dermatologist but what was this new condition? Shingles? I hope not. The red bumps weren't painful but they do itch.So I did a little Internet research. I find that what I have is "hives." An allergic reaction to . . . . something. I think I know that the "something" is. I think it is my homegrown cherry tomatoes that I grew out of my compost pile. I didn't have this problem before I ate those tomatoes and now I have the problem. At least I hep that is the problem. I don't need to be visiting my dermatologist again.

I put more Gold Bond lotion on the newly affected areas and promptly added a new reason to feel sorry for myself. Am I falling apart or what? One thing's for sure, no more of those frigging tomatoes. Let them rot on the plant for all I care. Last night while I was trying to sleep I kept waking up, wanting to scratch the affected areas but I didn't. I knew if I did I would only prolong the discomfort and healing. The good news is that the hives seem to be receding. It's always something folks. Oh for the days when I was in perfect health and didn't have to encounter these medical maladies. My spent youth.

Ron, I don't want to be an alarmist, nor will I recount the experience that prompts my question, but have you considered newly-hatched fleas? They are ravenous and attack softer skin areas. Don't rule them out, especially if you've been even in the cleanest houses with pets.

Geo.,Nope, I don't have fleas George. Nor bedbugs, which is what Pat suggested. I'm pretty my condition was an allergic reaction to eating those tomatoes. Now that I've stopped eating them, my condition is much improved. No more cherry tomatoes!Ron

nasty hives. Most folks can figure out what causes them, but a lot mistakes the real culprit. I would hate to think you have to give up homegrown toms if they are not the cause. Good luck sorting this one out.

Dr. Spo,I thought my hives were the result of those dastardly home grown tomatoes but apparently not. I still have the hives even though I haven't eaten any of the tomatoes for over a week now. I'm suspecting stress might be the cause. Ron

Inscription at Ronald Reagan's final resting place

I am a 76 year old gay man who retired to Delaware eleven years ago from Pennsylvania with my partner now husband of 53 years. We left Pennsylvania to escape the ever increasing high taxes for the more tax friendly state of Delaware. Now living on a fixed income supplemented by a part-time job as a front desk agent at a local hotel, we are making the most of our declining years. We've both had a fabulous life but we are slowing down now but still having a wonderful life. This blog I write is partly for my own therapy and to share and make friends with others out there in the universe.